I am from Holland. There this pre-pay system exixts already for five years or so. It is combined with your debit card there. Just see it as cash money that does not fill up your purse. Faster at check-outs: put the card in the slot, agree amount of money by choosing the YES button, that is it. But: if you loose your card, any one else can use this money too; you don't need a pin-number for pre-paid!

Check out mycashplus.co.uk It soundfs interesting and you do not have the hassle of credit checks and other stuff. You can keep your budget in your own hand.

What are they? How do they work? Are they worth it?